Our society is a society that has always struggled with the notion of failure. That's why experiencing a professional failure can be difficult to bear.
Indeed, unlike the American model and that of Anglo-Saxon countries, we are not always prepared to experience this type of failure and especially to bounce back positively afterwards.
An application not selected by a recruiter, an important contract that falls through or a professional project that does not turn out to be viable are all situations that put our spirit of resilience to the test! However, there are indeed keys to managing it and making it less cumbersome to manage.
This week, Meet My Job gives you the tips to bounce back after a professional failure!
1. Accept the pain you're feeling.
Let's face it: professional failure is painful. It hurts because it affects your ego and your self-confidence. It makes you feel multiple negative emotions like frustration, sadness , and even anger.
That's why it's important for you to accept that pain and feel it even if it hurts. Repressing this pain is not the solution because you will not be able to heal from it and it could cause harm to you in the future.
Remember, you're just a human being. You have the right to suffer. It takes more courage to accept one's pain than to hide it. Put aside your pride and personal pride as well. You have to be pragmatic and honest with yourself to move forward effectively!
And then, as the saying goes: it's by accepting your problem that you already start to solve it!
2. Don't be too yourself.
Then, after acceptance, forgiveness passes. After a professional failure, you have to forgive yourself!
As we said before; You are a human being. It's normal to be in pain, but it's also normal to doubt and make mistakes. Remember that even great business leaders have also experienced professional failure at least once in their lives. There is no such thing as a perfect linear course!
Also, don't forget that if you've experienced a professional failure, you've taken a risk. You have had the courage to face a new situation and try new things. It's a positive attitude that will help you achieve your successes tomorrow!
You can't be defined by your mistakes. That's why you shouldn't overwhelm yourself, just as you wouldn't overwhelm your colleague or loved one if they were experiencing a professional failure.
Finally, take a step back and reflect on your previous professional successes. This will allow you to stop feeling guilty and start getting better. Plus, you'll have plenty more opportunities to succeed!
3. Analyze the reason(s) for this failure.
Then, after accepting the pain and forgiving yourself, you need to understand the reason(s) that led you to this professional failure.
By analyzing this, you will be able to learn and avoid making similar mistakes in the future.
The reasons for this professional failure can be derived from different factors. It's important for you to list them all, even if one of the reasons involves your lack of preparedness for the situation. You have to be honest with yourself to be able to move forward effectively. By doing so, you will be able to react differently and more effectively if you are faced with a similar situation.
In addition, it can be interesting to list your strengths and weaknesses to see what you can improve. This will allow you to perform better later on, both professionally and personally. So you have to do a real analysis job to bounce back after this professional failure.
4. Share this situation with a colleague or your loved ones.
Often, it can be difficult to do this work of analysis and introspection after this failure. This is because our judgments and opinions about ourselves can alter the healing process.
In addition, failure is often difficult as it affects our ego and our pride. We often tend to want to hide it from others because we always want to appear flamboyant and conquering!
Nevertheless, and in the same way as for imposter syndrome , it is interesting to ask a colleague or your loved ones for advice and advice. You need to be surrounded by positive and caring people who will help you overcome your failure. In addition, these people will be able to provide you with constructive and welcome criticism to respond to your failure!
Don't be ashamed to talk about your professional failure in a neutral and dispassionate way: Like your successes, talking about your failures to others will free you from a weight and will surely inspire those around you who have already experienced this situation in the past.
5. Get ready to come back strong!
After these three essential steps, it's time for you to come back strong and try again!
However, after experiencing a professional failure, you may find it more difficult to come back with all your confidence, rest assured: this is normal. You still have the bitter taste of that professional failure somewhere inside you. That's why the last thing you want is to get to know one again!
However, you need to realize that your failure has made you much stronger and more equipped to deal with new situations!
Indeed, you know your strengths and weaknesses, you have a clear vision of what you need to improve. You must therefore regain your self-confidence and adopt a positive attitude in the face of new challenges. It's important to develop your mind and convince yourself that you're a strong, brave person who can succeed!
If a professional failure is never very pleasant, it is sometimes necessary to experience one during one's career to develop one's capacity for resilience. In the end, the important thing is not the failure itself but the ability of the person who suffers it to get back up and learn from it. So you always have to stay positive and don't see a failure as an end in itself but as a way to bounce back and achieve success in the future!
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